


written in stone

by byeolbit



Category: VIXX
Genre: M/M, Swordfighting, excalibur au, inspired by stories from morte d'arthur, medieval knights au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-30 15:02:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19405726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/byeolbit/pseuds/byeolbit
Summary: All Hongbin ever wanted was to be a knight. Perhaps to be a great swordsman like Jaehwan or even Master Taekwoon some day. What destiny has in store for him is definitely more than what he bargained for.





	written in stone

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired in part by this great [fanart](https://twitter.com/kongscheetoarms/status/1144487507578408962) Andie made on Twitter

I

“Correct your stance” Taekwoon instructed as Hongbin hit the ground yet again. The soft wet mud below him had not cushioned the fall and his hip bone pained as he stood up yet again.

He picked up the wooden sword and assumed a mid guard while his opponent Jaehwan took a high guard. Jaehwan was attacking and Hongbin was redoing basic defenses for the tenth time this fortnight.

"Spread your feet and lower your knees" Taekwoon said, hitting Hongbin's knees with the pole he had been leaning on.

"Start."

Jaehwan lunged forward at the signal and Hongbin parried, blocking the attack. Jaehwan was quicker to move and he cut from the exposed side, touching Hongbin's waist.

Hongbin sighed in defeat and looked at Taekwoon who kept a poker face.

"Maybe we should take a break" Jaehwan suggested.

"I can keep going" Hongbin insisted. Taekwoon looked at him and at Jaehwan who shrugged in response.

"Five minutes. Hongbin, fetch us some water" Taekwoon told him. 

Hongbin followed the order. The first rule of being an apprentice was always following orders. He fetched the moleskin flask that had been stowed away with the belongings. 

Siwol jumped up and started running between his legs. Hongbin laughed and bent down to pet the dog. "You're so stupid Siwol. Do you get excited for every man you see?" he teased, scratching his head. He yipped in response and Hongbin smiled fondly.

"Let's go get water to your master before he scolds both of us" Hongbin said, gesturing at Siwol to follow along.

He found Taekwoon talking to Jaehwan while balancing Jaehwan's sword - tip on one hand and pommel on the other.

"It's very well balanced and the ideal weight for you" Taekwoon observed, lifting the sword to eye level to get a sense of the blade's curve. It was an arming sword with a decorated steel hilt. On the hilt was the emblem of the kingdom, indicating that the sword belonged to a Knight of England.

"May I?" Taekwoon asked, lowering the sword. 

"Be my guest" Jaehwan gestured. Siwol wagged his tail and ran in between Jaehwan's legs before settling down next to him.

Taekwoon nodded and Jaehwan and Hongbin stepped away to watch. Taekwoon put in a distance of a few places between them and lifted the sword. The arming sword didn't have the reach longswords did but we're very effective in battle.

Taekwoon put both hands on the hilt and swung the sword diagonally across to get a feel of the power he could use. He adjusted quickly, going through the basic attack poses and some defensive. His forms flowed smoother than water and his feet moved with the agility of a cat. Taekwoon's long hair was tied up in a ponytail but it followed his torso's movements gracefully.

"Observe the way his feet move" Jaehwan whispered, leaning into Hongbin.

"His steps are lighter than normal" Hongbin noted.

"Yeah. Armings swords are lighter and good for offense and defense. You need light feet to quickly switch stances as and when you need to" Jaehwan explained. "So Master Taekwoon keeps his footsteps light and doesn't stay in one place for too long. Even while defending."

"An easy way of doing that is keeping your feet apart and angled for it" Jaehwan teased. Hongbin rolled his eyes before shoving him away. He understood the need for the basic lesson. Mastering the art however, was still a long battle away.

"Lighten up Hongbin. When you have been fighting for as long as Master Taekwoon has then you would be proficient in handling swords too" Jaehwan said, consoling the younger.

"Easy for you to say. You are already a knight" Hongbin scoffed.

"Not from the lack of practice and scolding. You think he's harsh on you but he's practically mollycoddling you because you are the youngest." 

Jaehwan laughed at Hongbin's grimace.

"Here" Taekwoon said, walking back to them and handing Jaehwan his sword. Jaehwan sheathed it and tied the scabbard back to his waist. Hongbin frowned, wondering if the elder had been fighting with the sword at his waist all this while. Siwol ran up to Taekwoon who petted his head lovingly and scratched his ears.

"Let's practice again" Taekwoon said, picking up the wooden dummies that boys had left on the ground. He threw one at Hongbin who caught it by the blade. Hongbin looked at Jaehwan who hadn’t been thrown a blade and then to Taekwoon who was looking at him expectantly.

"If you survive dancing with the dragon then meet me after dinner in the tavern tonight" Jaehwan said, pushing Hongbin forward. Hongbin sighed, preparing for the spar. Fighting Jaehwan was tough but winning against Taekwoon was impossible.

II

The tavern was quieter than Hongbin expected when he walked in. Being one of the only few taverns in a growing town, the establishment always had patrons about. But tonight was an exception from the norm. A few old men were chatting away merrily in the corner over ale and a handful of stragglers were either drinking or had passed out on different tables.

Hongbin spotted Jaehwan who waved him over. He had company. Wonshik, the barkeep who should have been on duty was sitting next to Jaehwan instead. Hongbin didn’t think too much into this since the man was always a welcome addition to the table.

“You made it!” Jaehwan said happily when Hongbin sat next to him and across the table from Wonshik.

“Not as bruised as the last time you sparred with Sir Jung” Wonshik noted. Hongbin gave him a murderous look and he laughed along with Jaehwan. A closer inspection revealed half the wine pitcher to be empty and both men to be rosy cheeked - a clear indicator of their state of inebriation.

“Not as busy with the bar tonight” Hongbin said, deflecting the topic.

“Not many patrons. Most people are tired after working in the fields and many will start travelling for the jousting tournament tomorrow” Wonshik said.

“I still don’t know why Master Taekwoon doesn’t want to go” Hongbin complained. Jaehwan and Wonshik exchanged a look with each other and took sips of their wine, making Hongbin suspicious.

“What?” Hongbin asked, getting suspicious by their exaggerated silence.

“The tournament is being organised by the church in hopes of finding the next man to pull the sword from the stone” Jaehwan explained.

“Oh…” Hongbin said, understanding the situation now that he knew the purpose of the jousting tournament.

Taekwoon was a famous knight, many of his adventures already recorded in songs. When the previous king had passed away many had thought that he would take his place since he was the knight most worthy of drawing the sword Excalibur from the stone it lay in. But Taekwoon had refused to even try and caused a scandal amongst the knights. 

Following that, he had retired to the countryside and started a school to teach apprentices the art of swordsmanship while the rest of the townships fought with each other to take control of the kingdom with or without the sword in hand.

His reluctance and lack of consideration of the proposal to attend made sense.

“But there might be a chance we get to go. Sir Hakyeon wrote him a letter and asked him to merely attend and meet him there” Jaehwan said, grinning suggestively.

“Sir Hakyeon?” Wonshik asked.

“Yes. They were apprentices together and continued to be great friends years later. I’ve heard that if you saw the way Master Taekwoon smiles at him, you’d think he was in love with him or something” Jaehwan said.

“He’s rumoured to be very beautiful so I wouldn’t blame him” Wonshik said, playing around with the wine glass he held.

“Is that what you like then? Pretty men?” Jaehwan teased.

“I appreciate the fine things in life, regardless of gender” Wonshik told him.

“You must give your heart away all the time then” Jaehwan said, flicking his forehead. Wonshik grumbled in pain and Jaehwan smiled at him.

“You both are disgusting” Hongbin scoffed, pouring himself more wine.

“Have you met Sir Hakyeon in person? I heard he visited Master Taekwoon more often before I joined as an apprentice and you practically grew up under Taekwoon’s care” Jaehwan asked.

“I was a very young kid then. Master Taekwoon and Sir Hakyeon were quite young too and I don’t remember much of how he used to look but I remember lots of women always trying to catch glimpses of him or get him to notice them. So maybe he was as pretty as everyone says” Hongbin recalled.

“Must have been so irritating for you because the entire town would definitely have ogled at Sir Taekwoon too” Wonshik chuckled.

“We should convince Master Taekwoon to take us along” Jaehwan suggested. “He’ll agree if you ask him since he likes you more.”

“You say that but today he murdered me in practice more times than I could count” Hongbin complained.

“It was out of paternal love. But you should ask him. Don’t you want to see how jousting tournaments are? You do wish to be a knight, don’t you?” Jaehwan pleaded, goading the youngest.

Hongbin considered the suggestion for a moment. 

“I make no promises” he relented. Jaehwan cheered and Wonshik stood up, taking the wine pitcher from Hongbin. 

“I’ll get you more wine for the liquid courage you need.”

**Author's Note:**

> The story has been inspired by the tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, specifically those listed in Morte D'Arthur.
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/starryfics1?s=09) | [Tumblr](https://vixxscifiwritings.tumblr.com) | [CuriousCat](https://curiouscat.me/poojamk15)


End file.
